Sassuolo 1-3 Juventus: 5 talking points as Cristiano Ronaldo scores his 100th goal for Juve | Serie A 2020-21
Juventus returned to winning ways in Serie A with a convincing 3-1 win over Sassuolo. The good news is that they are still in contention for a top-four spot, the bad news is that all four teams above them in the league standings also recorded a win, so at the moment, they remain in fifth place with 72 points.
It was an uncharacteristic win for the visitors, who had only 34% possession and also recorded fewer shots than the hosts. The hosts were awarded a penalty in the 14th minute but Domenico Berardi's effort was saved by Gianluigi Buffon
Adrien Rabiot opened the scoring in the 28th minute with a brilliant strike from the edge of the box and Cristiano Ronaldo doubled their lead right before the half-time whistle.
Giacomo Raspadori halved the deficit with a calm finish in the 59th minute but the two-goal lead was restored within six minutes, as Paulo Dybala chipped over Andrea Consigli for the final goal of the game.
Andrea Pirlo's men kept their top-four hopes alive with a much-needed win and here we take a look at the five talking points from the game.
#5 Juventus save two penalties in as many games
Juventus avoided conceding from the spot for the second game in a row as Gianluigi Buffon took a page from Wojciech Szczęsny's book and denied Berardi the opportunity to open the scoring in the 16th minute.
Buffon also registered himself in the history books with that save as he became the oldest goalkeeper in the competition's history, aged 43. While Szczęsny's save against AC Milan last week did not prove that crucial, as the Turin giants lost the game 3-0 but Buffon's save proved to be very crucial for the outcome of the game, as Sassuolo only scored once in the game.
#4 Juventus fail to impress despite scoring three goals tonight
Juventus might've recorded a 3-1 win but for the majority of the game they were the second-best team on the pitch. They had just 34% possession against the hosts, which was one of the lowest figures they posted this term.
It was not just that they had less possession tonight but they also lacked the drive to go forward. At times there was not a single player in the box for Ronaldo to pass the ball into and by the time he received some support, Sassuolo players had already covered their tracks.
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